Return Once Again
by Autobot Guardian
Summary: Sunstreaker is kidnapped from the Autobot base and shipped off to Cybertron. Will he manage to escape? And if he does, how will he return to Earth? How will he return to Prowl?
As the yellow warrior walked through the corridors, he was thinking about his old jobs on Cybertron. Performer, artist, gladiator, and all of those little jobs in-between. Suddenly, the lighting in the corridor failed, and the ruby-red emergency lighting activated. Looking around, everything was in a ruby-red tinge, so it made it hard to make out anything moving for him. Suddenly, there was a crackling sound behind him, and something hit the back of his head. Everything went black.

 **0o0o0o0o0**

Prowl ran through the corridors, making sure that everyone that was not on a patrol was still in the Ark. After running through the list in his head, his spark clenched in his chest. _Where is Sunny?_ He double- and triple- checked the list, just to make sure he didn't miss something, and a cold feeling settled in his spark. Sunstreaker was missing.

"Prowl, is everyone accounted for?" The SIC spun around when he heard the baritone voice, and saw Prime standing right behind him.

"Negative, sir. Sunny… Sunny's missing."

 **0o0o0o0o0**

 **Hours Later, in the Nemesis…**

Sapphire blue optics onlined, and blearily looked around. Sunstreaker could just barely make out the inside of a cell, and the walls were painted purple. There was something latched around his wrists, and when he looked up to where his arms were raised to, he saw that they were fastened in cuffs that were attached to the wall. The cuffs were also purple.

"Slag… I'm in the Decepticon brig." Sunstreaker tried to break his way free of the cuffs, but all it did was make his wrists sore. Halting his efforts, he looked around again, and saw shadows coming down the corridor. A silver mech came into his line of sight, and the warrior's sapphire blue optics narrowed until they were just slits of light in the darkness. "Megatron."

"Ah, you're awake! Well, Autobot, this is your lucky day! Shockwave is in need of test subjects on Cybertron, and since you have a reputation for being strong, we've chosen _you_ to go to Cybertron. As a prisoner, of course." Megatron grinned viciously at the Autobot, but Sunstreaker returned it with even more ferocity.

"Well, I'll be sure to give him your regards when I tear him apart for messing with my finish." Sunstreaker smirked at the Decepticon leader, and casually blew a small spurt of flame out of the corner of his mouth. Megatron's blood-red optics narrowed at the Autobot, who simply grinned at him.

"Sadly, we won't be transporting you conscious. Have a nice rest, Autobot." Megatron pressed a button on the wall, and the energy bars suddenly widened until they merged into an energy field around the cell. The vent on the cell's ceiling opened up, and a deep blue gas started getting pumped into the cell. Sunstreaker tried to hold his breath, but his oxygen tanks started burning for air, and he started to breathe again, taking in both air and the gas. Everything started to look a little fuzzy, and darkness was biting at the edges of his vision. He slumped further down, not even noticing the pain that came from his wrists when more and more of his weight was being supported by them as they were fastened in the cuffs. His thoughts became slower, and his body was refusing his commands to stay awake. Before slipping into unconsciousness, his last thought was, _figures they would rather sedate me like this than do it face-to-face…_ Then, black.

 **0o0o0o0o0**

 **Hours Later…**

Sapphire blue optics onlined, only to find himself in yet ANOTHER purple cell. This time, however, the cuffs on his wrists were attached to energy chains that were linked to the floor. And he wasn't the only one in the cell. A smaller mech that was colored in grayish blue and white with baby blue optics was kneeling beside him, looking at him worriedly.

"Hey, you awake?"

"Hnn… wha… where am I? Who are you?" Sunstreaker sat up hurriedly, then groaned as a wave of dizziness hit him. He put a hand to his head, using the other to support himself.

"I'm Highjump. You're in one of the holding cells in one of Shockwave's laboratories, on Cybertron. What's your name?" The new mech, now classified in Sunstreaker's databanks as Highjump, looked at the warrior inquiringly.

"I'm Sunstreaker. The 'Cons must have shipped me here to Cybertron from Earth using their space bridge. They captured me and took me from the Autobot base, and then they sedated me in my cell in their brig. Next thing I know, I wake up here with you leaning over me." When the dizziness finally wore off, Sunstreaker looked at the mech in the cell with him.

"Hey… I've heard of you! You broke every single record in both the single and double matches in the Gladiatorial Arenas of Kaon! Prime's adopted son, right?"

"That's right. How many prisoners are in here?" Highjump looked thoughtful for a moment, as if he was trying to count in his head.

"About thirty, now that you're here. Some of us have had to go through experimental tests, but so far, nothing has been permanent." Highjump turned to the side, and Sunstreaker could see a strange burn mark on the smaller mech's right shoulder. "I got this from an experimental acid he was working on. It's slowly healing, but it may leave a scar."

"Have you guys ever tried to escape?"

"We haven't had a chance to. There are guards 24/7 around here, and none of us can break these chains." Highjump slumped into a defeated posture, but Sunstreaker looked at his own hands, and had a flash of inspiration.

"Highjump, I think that I'm your lucky break." Ignoring the shocked and confused look on the smaller mech's face, Sunstreaker extended his claws, and started to use them to fiddle with the energy cuffs on his own wrists. Finally, after a few tries, he managed to deactivate them, and he rubbed his wrists, glad to be free of the restraints. "I'll help you out, and then give you some weapons. We're going to have a prisoner rebellion."

 **0o0o0o0o0**

A guard was walking past their cell, and when the door suddenly exploded, he was thrown backwards, and slammed against the bars of another cell. The energy bars pretty much roasted the poor guard alive. The prisoners in that cell stared in shock, and when Sunstreaker and Highjump came out of their cell, the prisoners all realized what was going on. They were getting out!

"Okay. Highjump, arm the others when I set them free, and then I'll get us all out of here." Sunstreaker attached square pieces of metal to his forearms, and blades suddenly extended from them. They were special blades from when he was a gladiator, and he knew that they could withstand the jolts from the energy bars. Holding his arms out to the sides, he ran down the corridor that contained the holding cells, his blades destroying the controls to the doors, bars, energy cuffs and energy chains, deactivating it all. As he ran through, his new friend Highjump armed the other prisoners with guns and blades that Sunstreaker had taken out of his own subspace. They were generic weapons, so the warrior didn't mind relinquishing them. When Sunstreaker got to the end of the corridor, the only cell left was a high-security cell, and it had only one mech inside. Sunstreaker stared for a moment, shocked, and then he plunged both blades into the control panel, taking out all of the security for the cell. It opened, and the mech that had been chained to the wall fell forwards, only to be caught by the warrior. "JAZZ?!"

"Hey… 'Streaker…" The saboteur attempted to smirk at his friend, but he was too weak to do so.

"It's gonna be alright, pal, we'll get you out of here." Sunstreaker slung the Autobot SIC over his shoulders, and ran back down the corridor to where the other prisoners were waiting for him.

"Sunstreaker, do you know this mech?" Highjump ran alongside the warrior, who nodded.

"Yeah. This is Jazz, head of Spec Ops, and one of Prime's two SICs. He's also one of my best friends from when I was a sparkling. We were raised in the tower together, along with four other comrades that we work with, including my twin brother, Sideswipe." Sunstreaker had retracted the Gladiator blades on his arms back into their metal squares, so that he did not accidentally cut the saboteur he was carrying on his shoulders.

"Will he be alright?" Highjump looked at the unconscious mech worriedly, and Sunstreaker nodded.

"Yeah, once I get him some energon and take that neural buffer off of his neck. I'm guessing that the 'Cons didn't want any trouble from him. He's quite a scary mech to fight." The other prisoners were fighting every guard that tried to stop them, making sure that they defended the ones among them that were wounded or unconscious. Those that needed help were with Sunstreaker and Highjump in the center of their group, protected by those in the best condition who were all around the outside of the group. Highjump was helping another mech to walk, while he talked to his new friend.

"How long until we make it outside?"

"Not long. Before Jazz went unconscious, he sent me the map to this place through a secured comm. link. We've got one more door to blast through, and then we'll be outside." Just then, one of the other prisoners destroyed the door at the end of the corridor, and they were outside. "Everyone! Head towards that Decepticon transport! It's empty, and we can use it to get away from here!" Sunstreaker put on a burst of speed, and ended up at the front of the pack, leading the way to the transport that was their ticket to freedom. Everyone else followed, putting blind faith into the mech that had started their whole escape attempt. When Sunstreaker got to the entrance to the transport, he passed Jazz over to one of the other prisoners, and started to hack the codes to the doors. "Got it! Everyone in! Go, go, go, go, go!" He was waving them all inside, staying at the entrance to make sure that no Decepticons were going to attack his fellow prisoners. Suddenly, a blast hit the prisoner at the very back of the group, a black and red mech with a design that looked like he came from Polyhex, and Sunstreaker ran back down the ramp, even as the Decepticons were closing in.

"Ughhh…" The mech attempted to push himself to his feet, but he swayed, and fell back to the ground. Sunstreaker skidded to a stop by his side, and started pulling on his arm.

"Come on, come on!" He pulled the mech to his feet, and supported him as they ran to the transport. Highjump was at the entrance, calling for them to hurry. Sunstreaker felt a laser hit him in the back, but he didn't falter, and he kept running through the pain. They got inside, and Highjump hurriedly closed the door, and pressed the button to retract the ramp. Sunstreaker passed the red and black mech over to another prisoner, and made his way to the pilot's cockpit. There was already a brown and blue mech in the seat, trying to figure out the controls, and the yellow warrior gruffly shoved him out of his way. "I got this, you go check on the others."

"Yes, sir!" The mech saluted, and ran out of the cockpit, while Sunstreaker rolled his optics at the 'sir' part.

"I am not an officer…" Sunstreaker grumbled, as he powered on the transport, and it started to lift up into the air. Highjump came in, looking a little worse for wear from their mad dash to the transport, but his optics were still bright and alert.

"Need any help up here?" Sunstreaker looked over his shoulder, and smirked at the mech.

"Are there any medics in this group? I need one to take a look at a hit I took to my back, just below my right shoulder. It's giving me fits and making it hard to steer."

"Yeah, we have a few medics. The most experienced one is a mech named Patch-up. His apprentice is Welder."

"Well, can you send one of them in here? I need to steer this fragging thing, and I can't do that very well when I'm having trouble moving my right shoulder. And can you tell the others that I am NOT an officer? I just had one of them calling me 'sir'. I don't really like that."

"I'll be sure to tell them. And I'll send the medics in right away." Highjump hurried out of the cockpit, while Sunstreaker did his best to steer the transport with only one arm, since his right shoulder absolutely _refused_ to go about its full range of motion. Soon, the door opened again, and three mechs entered the cockpit. To the warrior's relief, one of them was Jazz, who seemed like he was ready for anything. The other two were obviously medics, but one of them seemed more nervous than the other. The first one, who was obviously older, was almost as tall as Sunstreaker, and had a sky blue visor over his optics, while he was colored in teal, with bright red crosses and highlights on him. The crosses were on his shoulders, just like they were on the medics back at the Ark. The second one was a bit shorter, and was obviously a Praxian. He was mainly a bright green, with the same red crosses on his shoulders, and there was a golden chevron on his forehead. He looked sort of like a Christmas wreath to Sunstreaker, with the green and red coloration.

"Okay, 'Streaker, I'll take over while Patch-up and Welder take care a' ya'." Jazz went over to the pilot's seat, and Sunstreaker gratefully traded off with the saboteur. "So, where were ya' aimin' fo', 'Streaker?"

"I was planning on taking us to the Crystal Forest. It's secluded, and relatively safe from the Decepticons. I know a few friends there that can help us." Sunstreaker lay down on his chest on the bench in the back of the cockpit, and the two medics immediately started to assess the damage to his back.

"A'ight, 'Streaker. Tha Crystal Forest it is." Jazz typed in the coordinates to the navigation systems, and a map popped up on a small holographic screen off to the side. "Ah wish Blue was 'ere. We could use 'is help."

"You got that right, Jazz." Sunstreaker grunted as the medics accidentally poked a sensitive wire with a laser scalpel, and they immediately apologized.

"Sorry about that. We are not that familiar with anyone similar to your frametype." Patch-up resumed working, and soon, Sunstreaker was able to move his shoulder through its full range of motion again.

"Thanks. I'll let my auto-repair systems take care of the rest. You two need to go see to the other wounded now."

"All right." The two medics left the cockpit, and Sunstreaker sat down in the chair next to Jazz.

"So, how long until we arrive?"

Ah'd say 'bout ten minutes."

"Good. I'll get into contact with my friends, and tell them what to watch for when we arrive." Sunstreaker got on his comm., and smiled when he heard a familiar voice. After giving them instructions, he turned back to the navigational systems, and looked at the power levels. "Scrap. We barely have enough energon to make it to the outskirts of the forest. My friends will be waiting for us there, and when we arrive, we're going to have to strip this rig for everything we can get from it."

"A'ight, 'Streaker. Ya' know more 'bout this place than ah do, so you're tha boss." Jazz smirked at Sunstreaker, and the warrior groaned in exasperation.

"Jazz, I'm not a leader…"

"You're tha Elite Protector."

"That doesn't count. When I'm in my Protector mode, I get knowledge from Primus and Airstrike. Like this… I'm not a leader."

"Can ya' activate your Protector Programmin' at will?"

"Never tried, and I'm not going to. I'll find another way to lead, if I have to." Sunstreaker looked out through the glass of the cockpit, and saw the glittering forest in the distance. "We're almost there. I can see my friends at the edges of the treeline, on cyber-horses."

"Cyber-horses?! Ya' mean, those guys're cryber-horse trainers?!"

"Sort of. They raise the cyber-horses so that they can survive in the forest. The cyber-horses let them ride them, and my friends feed and care for the cyber-horses in return. I have one of my own in that herd. I wonder where he is…" Sunstreaker trailed off, looking at each of the Cybertronian horses with a critical optic, while Jazz stared in shock. Suddenly, the engines started cutting out. "We need to deploy the landing gear, Jazz!"

"Right on!" Jazz hit the switch that deploys the landing gear, and it immediately extended from the bottom of the transport. The engines cut out, and they started to glide down for the landing. The cyber-horses scattered from where the transport was landing, and the three Cybertronians that were riding three of the cyber-horses were holding their mounts steady. When they finally landed, the ramp went down, and Sunstreaker rushed to the exit.

"Hey, guys! Been a long time!" Sunstreaker stood at the top of the ramp in all of his golden glory, and the three riders laughed, and rode their cyber-horses up to the bottom of the ramp.

"Sure has, Sunstreaker! Why don't you come on down? We'll take you and your friends to our camp, and help them recover! We have enough cyber-horses here for everyone!" The sole femme of the trio, who was colored in bright pink and emerald-green, laughed, and waved to him. She then whistled, and a big, shining, black and gold cyber-horse stallion came trotting up to the ramp.

"Sunrunner!" Sunstreaker practically flew down the ramp, and hugged the cyber-horse around the neck. "I missed you, old friend." The stallion nickered happily, and used his neck and head to hug his master. Then, the other former prisoners started to come out of the transport, and Jazz gaped when he saw the size of the stallion.

"Wow, 'Streaker! Is tha' your cyber-horse?!" Jazz ran down the ramp, until he was standing right behind the warrior, who turned to face him.

"Yep! This is Sunrunner! I raised him from a colt, and now he's the leader of the herd! He's also the biggest cyber-horse in this whole area!" Sunstreaker lifted his left arm, and swung it over the stallion's neck, and then swung the rest of him onto the stallion's back. "You can ride Moonstrider over there." He pointed over at the herd, where a white and silver mare was walking towards them. "She's Sunrunner's mate, and the Head Mare."

"Cool." Jazz walked over to the mare, who nickered, and pressed her muzzle into his chest, taking long sniffs of his scent. "Um… 'Streaker, what's she doin'?"

"She's memorizing your scent. That's how the cyber-horses recognize their riders. Basically, that means that she's your horse, and yours alone. She will not allow anyone else to ride her."

"Wow…" Jazz waited until she finished sniffing him, and when she knelt down on her front legs, he didn't hesitate to swing himself up onto her back. Suddenly, a black and silver foal came running out of the forest, and pranced around Moonstrider. "Who's this?"

"Heh. That's Sunrunner and Moonstrider's colt. We named him Starfall."

"Fitting. Well, so you're a big, strong daddy now, aren't you?" Sunstreaker affectionately rubbed his stallion's ears, and the big gold and black cyber-horse neighed happily.

"Starfall is actually the youngest of their foals. There are two others, Comet Trail, and Meteor Shower. Comet Trail is that tri-colored black, silver, and gold mare over there, and Meteor Shower is that grey and gold stallion over there." The femme that was riding a sky-blue and white mare pointed over at two cyber-horses that were standing near each other, and said mare and stallion looked up at them. "The oldest is Comet Trail."

"Nice. Looks like Meteor Shower takes after his sire, doesn't he?"

"Yep."

"Hey, 'Streaker, ya' dina' introduce meh to ya' friends yet." Jazz rode up to beside the warrior, who chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry 'bout that. Jazz, these are my old performing partners. The femme is Lightfoot, the larger mech is Thundershock, and the smaller mech is Airwave." When he pointed at the two mechs, the larger one was a purplish black, with electric-blue lightning bolts on his arms, and a dull gray, cloudy appearance to his shoulders. The smaller mech was a happier sky-blue, and he had gold shading on his shoulders, as well as a painted effect to his body that made it seem like he was shimmering with heat. He also had a blue-green visor over his optics, and two antennae on either side of his head that were similar to the ones on Optimus Prime. "Guys, this is one of my best friends from when I was a sparkling, Autobot SIC Jazz."

"Nice to meet you! He told us a lot about you when he was in our performing troupe!" Airwave rode up to Jazz on a blue and blue-green mare, grinning the whole time. "I've always wanted to meet you!"

"Nice ta' meet ya' too, 'Wave!" Jazz reached out with one hand, and the two mechs shook hands, solidifying their new friendship. Then, Thundershock rode up on a stallion that was colored in black and dark grey.

"Hm. You're shorter than I would have expected." Thundershock looked Jazz up and down, then smirked. "Doesn't matter. You seem like you're the good kind of mech."

"Um… thanks?" Jazz's uncertain reply caused the three mechs and the femme who were riding near him to laugh heartily, and Jazz was a bit dazed by how happy the four of them were together.

"Ah, Jazz, he just gave you a compliment! That's just how 'Shock is!" Sunstreaker slapped the saboteur on the back good-naturedly, still chuckling. Then, he looked at his friends again. "Hey, think you guys can help us strip this rig? We need all the supplies we can get, and we're not about to let all of this equipment we stole from the 'Cons go to waste."

"Sure, Sunbot!" Airwave laughed as he dodged a swing from Sunstreaker. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"Have you forgotten that I DON'T LIKE THAT NICKNAME?!" Sunstreaker tried to sound angry, but the laughing in his words gave away that he was having fun with his old friends.

"All right, sorry! I was just hoping that you are still the same Sunstreaker we used to perform with! Do you still have that suit?" Airwave looked at Sunstreaker expectantly, and then shouted with joy when the warrior smirked, and pulled the helmet to the suit out of his subspace.

"Yeah, I still have it. The 'Cons got lazy, and didn't try to deprive me of my subspaced items. Oh well, their funeral."

"Heh. We heard that you became a gladiator after you had to leave the troupe, is that true?" Lightfoot looked at Sunstreaker inquiringly, and then stared with wide optics when Sunstreaker extended the gladiator blades from the squares on his forearms.

"Yeah, I became a gladiator. Had to do SOMETHING to eat, right? Well, at least the experience I gained in the arena kept me alive through this whole Primus-damned war." Sunstreaker retracted the blades, and then smirked at his friends. "Well? Let's strip this rig, and get to your camp!"

 **0o0o0o0o0**

 **Five Hours Later…**

Sunstreaker finished securing the makeshift wagon to one of the cyber-horses, a strong mare colored in sapphire blue and bright pink, and then gently patted her on the shoulder.

"All right, Rapture, let's go girl." Sunstreaker swung up onto his stallion, and the mare followed the two of them as the warrior clicked his tongue for her to follow them. She was pulling the wagon, which was full of metal and technology they had stripped from the transport, just like fifteen other strong cyber-horses were doing. They were soon deep into the Crystal Forest, and Sunstreaker was navigating the area by memory. "The trees have gotten bigger since I was last here."

"Yep. We've also got new seedlings here, too. It's not too far until we reach the camp." Thundershock brought his stallion up beside Sunrunner, and Sunstreaker smiled at his friend.

"Good. I think some of my new friends are getting tired. Some of them were wounded by the 'Cons, and are still recovering. Especially that black and red Polyhexian back there." Sunstreaker motioned to the mech he had pulled into the transport after the mech had been shot, who was riding one of the smaller stallions. The stallion was a forest green and dark brown, but very strong.

"Don't worry, Surefoot won't let the guy fall, I can assure you of that. The little stallion once carried me when I was wounded when a few 'Cons worked up the guts to come into the forest. I went unconscious on his back, but I didn't fall off. That stallion is too loyal to let that happen."

"What happened after that?"

"Well, from what Lightfoot told me, Sunrunner and Stormtide, my stallion, ran past me and Surefoot, and attacked those 'Cons. Left no survivors. None of those 'Cons lived to tell the tale." Then, Thundershock looked ahead, and smiled. "We're here."

They rode their cyber-horses into a large clearing, with the tallest trees spreading their branches over it until they became entangled, acting like a natural roof. Sunstreaker smiled when he saw the huts that were scattered all throughout the clearing, and he dismounted his cyber-horse. When he was standing on his own two feet, He walked over to the hut closest to a crystal tree that had pools of energon and little energon waterfalls in it, with his stallion following him. He smiled, and took a small cube out of his subspace, then dipped the cube in one of the pools, and brought it to his mouth. Once he was finished drinking the energon, he sighed in contentment, and sat down, with Sunrunner lying down behind him. He leaned against his cyber-horse's side, feeling a bit tired from his long trip there. Soon enough, Jazz joined him with Moonstrider, and looked at the energon-waterfall tree.

"Hey, 'Streaker, is this safe ta' drink?"

"Yep. Go ahead and have some, it's really good." Then, Sunstreaker looked at Lightfoot, who had just walked over with her mare following her. "So, is this hut still reserved for me?"

"You know it is, Sunstreaker." Lightfoot sat down with her mare, and giggled when the cyber-horse nudged her head. "Stop that, Skyhoof! I'm trying to take a nap here!" The mare snorted softly, and then lay her head down on the ground near her master. Lightfoot rolled onto her side, and snuggled up with her cyber-horse, falling asleep instantly. Sunstreaker smiled, as Sunrunner used his head to nudge the warrior, and he sleepily stroked the stallion's head. Soon enough, he too was sleeping.

 **0o0o0o0o0**

 **On Earth…**

"Prime, Sunny was taken through the Decepticon space bridge! Jazz is also missing! We need to find them!" Prowl was panicking. His second-best friend was missing, as was his beloved frontline warrior. And it was tearing him apart inside. "I know that at least Sunny was sent to Cybertron, but I'm not sure what happened to Jazz. If we're lucky, the two of them are traveling together, if indeed Sunny has managed to escape the 'Cons."

"Well, I just got a report back from Mirage. He was just in the Decepticon base, spying on Megatron's command center, and there was a call from Shockwave saying that all of the prisoners had escaped from a lab, including the two that Megatron had sent from Earth. I'm guessing that the second one is Jazz, given how put out Shockwave was. He was ranting that his high-security cell had been destroyed by one of the prisoners, and that the officer inside had escaped with all of the rest of them."

"Then Jazz and Sunny are both on Cybertron, but where? And how did they escape Shockwave?"

"From what Mirage heard, both Megatron and the guards at Shockwave's lab had failed to hack into Sunstreaker's subspace, and he used the equipment that he always carries around with him to escape. The security footage that Mirage managed to swipe shows something quite interesting." Optimus pressed a button on the screen on the wall, and it showed a recording taken from a camera that was positioned at the very beginning of the corridor in the holding cell. It showed a guard walking past the cell closest to the door, and the cell door suddenly blew out, slamming the guard into the energy bars of the cell across from it, roasting him alive. Then, two mechs walked out of the cell that the door was blown out of, and Prowl identified the taller one as Sunstreaker.

"Don't the Decepticons know not to put Sunny in the cell closest to the door by now?" Prowl mused aloud, and then returned his attention to the recording. Sunstreaker had attached his extending gladiator blades to his forearms, and extended them, and was running down the corridor with his arms stretched out to either side, slicing through the controls and energy bars of each cell he passed. When Sunstreaker got to the end of the corridor, they saw him pause, and then plunge both of his blades into the control panel of the final cell, catching the mech that was inside when he fell out. Behind them, in the corridor, the mech that broke out of the same cell that Sunstreaker had been in was arming the other prisoners. Suddenly, they saw Sunstreaker sling the mech he had caught over his shoulders, in a "fireman's carry", as the humans would put it. When he got closer to the camera, they could barely identify Jazz in the bad video resolution. "There. Stop it here."

"All right." Prime stopped the video, and rewound it a bit, until Prowl held up a hand. Then, the SIC pointed at where Sunstreaker was, and tapped the screen on the face of the 'bot Sunstreaker was carrying.

"That's Jazz. Now, it's official: the two of them escaped together, with at least two dozen other prisoners, and are somewhere on Cybertron. We need to go get them!"

"Hold on, Prowl. We don't have the resources to go to Cybertron, but Sunstreaker may be able to find a way to get back here to Earth. You know how resourceful he is in a tough situation." Prime put a hand on the SIC's shoulder, and Prowl sighed in defeat.

"It's just… I miss him, Prime. He was kidnapped! And now… now I don't know exactly where he is…"

"Prowl, he'll come home. I know he will."

 **0o0o0o0o0**

 **Next Morning, on Cybertron…**

Sunstreaker was enjoying his sleep. He had moved himself into his hut, so that he didn't get any sore joints in his sleep. Just as he was resting happily, something knocked him out of his bed, and he woke up flailing, trying to grab onto anything to stop his fall. He groaned when he hit the floor of his hut, and when he looked up, he saw Sunrunner looking at him with mirth in his large blue optics. The cyber-horse neighed happily, and it sounded a bit like laughing to Sunstreaker.

"All right, all right… I'm up, okay?" Sunstreaker pushed the stallion's head away from him, and picked himself up off of the floor. "Ugh. I see you still like to wake people up in the same way, don't you?" The warrior affectionately rubbed the stallion's ears, and then walked out of his hut. Stretching his arms into the air, the warrior yawned loudly, shuttering his optics for a few seconds, and then opening them again, feeling a bit more alert. Looking around at the camp, he saw a few other former prisoners stumbling out, and he snickered when he saw that their cyber-horses were nudging them with their muzzles. Suddenly, he felt something hit him in the center of his back, and he fell off of his porch, landing heavily on the ground. When he flipped himself over, he saw Sunrunner practically dancing on the hut's porch with glee. "Yeah, yeah, you're a real jokester, 'Runner." Sunstreaker picked himself up off of the ground for the second time within ten minutes, and dusted himself off. Suddenly, he heard a _CLANG_ from the hut nearest to his, and when he looked over, he saw that Jazz had received the same treatment from Moonstrider.

"Ah'm okay!" Jazz picked himself up off of the ground, and laughed at the cyber-horses' antics. "Lively things, ain't they?"

"That they are, Jazz." Sunstreaker stroked Sunrunner's muzzle when the stallion came down to the ground, and chuckled. "Hey, how about we go for a ride? I think that our cyber-horses need to run off some energy, don't they?"

"Can weh get some energon first, 'Streaker? Mah tanks are empty."

"Sure, Jazz. Come on over to the energon-falls tree." Sunstreaker went over to the same tree as he had yesterday, and dipped two cubes into one of the pools in the trunk. When Jazz came over, Sunstreaker handed him a cube, and the two drank it all down quickly. After that, they both swung up onto their cyber-horses, and spurred them on into the forest. The two Autobot mechs laughed, as their mounts wove around the massive crystal trees that ringed the clearing that the camp resided in. Others soon joined them, laughing and whooping along with them. Highjump soon was riding beside Jazz, on a swift mare colored in pale gold and rich emerald.

"Haha! Betcha that my mare is faster!" Highjump grinned at the saboteur, who smirked back.

"Well, weh'll see 'bout that!" Jazz urged his mare to go faster, and soon, the two mechs were laughing, and their mares were trying to outdo each other. But Moonstrider wasn't the Head Mare for nothing. Pretty soon, she had surged ahead, and was neck-and-neck with Sunrunner. Sunstreaker grinned at his friend, and laughed.

"You DO know that 'Runner is going easy, don't you?"

"What do ya' mean?"

"Just watch! Okay, boy! Let's show them why you're the head of the herd!" Sunstreaker clicked his tongue, and gently prodded the stallion's sides with his heels, and Sunrunner immediately picked up speed, surging ahead until his legs were a blur of motion. He gracefully wove between the trees at a high speed, and they soon left the rest of the riders far behind. Sunstreaker turned his stallion around, and they went galloping back to the clearing. When they arrived, they saw that the others had already gotten off of their cyber-horses, so Sunrunner knelt down on his front legs to allow his master to get off. The warrior gracefully slid off of the stallion's back, and stood on two feet, affectionately stroking the cyber-horse's muzzle. "You did good, boy."

"Tha' was amazin', 'Streaker!" Jazz came running up to the yellow twin, with Moonstrider walking swiftly behind him. "How'd 'Runner go so fast?!"

"He has long legs, and a lot of power behind them. His strides are the longest of any of the cyber-horses here, and the power he puts behind each step propels him forward extremely quickly. It also helps that he's the biggest cyber-horse in the herd, possibly even in the history of Cybertron! He's got really great balance, and every single one of his features is ideal for beauty, speed, and strength." Sunstreaker was still affectionately rubbing the stallion's muzzle, and the stallion seemed to puff up with pride when he heard his master's words.

"Wow…" Jazz looked the stallion over, and then tentatively reached a hand out. "Can I…"

"Sure you can." Sunstreaker stopped rubbing the cyber-horse's muzzle, and stepped back. Sunrunner looked at Jazz, and then slowly stretched his neck out and down a bit so that the smaller mech could reach his muzzle. The saboteur gently rubbed the golden muzzle, and the stallion happily nickered at him.

"Ah think he likes meh!"

"Of course he does, Jazz. You're his mate's rider!" Sunstreaker went over to Moonstrider, and gently rubbed her ears.

"Ya' think weh can take 'em back ta' the Ark with us when weh go home?" Jazz looked at Sunstreaker hopefully, and deflated a bit when he saw the warrior's concerned expression.

"Jazz, they're the leaders of the herd. We can't take them with us, no matter how much you or I may want to. I'm sorry, but when we go back to the Ark, they stay here."

"A'ight…" Jazz stopped rubbing Sunrunner's muzzle, and his head drooped down. A tear formed at the corner of the saboteur's visor, and Moonstrider gently nudged his shoulder with her muzzle to try to cheer him up. When he felt the contact, he turned around, and hugged his mare around the neck. "I dun' wanna leave ya', Moon…" The mare nickered sadly, and used her head and neck to hug the SIC back. If Jazz had been paying attention to anything besides his cyber-horse and his sadness, he would have realized that Sunstreaker and Sunrunner were in a similar embrace. Then, they stopped hugging their cyber-horses, and looked at each other.

"We better get to work on transportation, Jazz."

"A'ight, 'Streaker…" Jazz and Sunstreaker walked over to the pile of parts and metal plating that they had stripped off of the Decepticon transport they had stolen, and got to work sorting out everything they would need to get themselves back to Earth. While Jazz got metal pieces, Sunstreaker was building a framework for a hover-cycle. He sliced up the old supports from the transport, and bent them with his hammer until they were perfectly curved for the skeletal structure of the hover-cycle. Hours later, the frame was done, and he started the hardest part. Building the machinery that went inside.

"Jazz, can you find me some smaller engine pieces? These are too big."

"Okay." Jazz went back into the pile, and soon found pieces that were the right size. "Will these work, 'Streaker?"

"Yep! Thanks!" Sunstreaker whipped them together, and soon had a working engine. "We've still got a ways to go until we can get back to Earth."

 **0o0o0o0o0**

 **The Next Morning…**

Sunstreaker flew out of bed, and out of the hut, flashing right by Sunrunner, who had been about to knock him out of bed again. The stallion followed his master out, and came to a stop behind him when the warrior knelt down to put the finishing touches on the second hover-cycle he had built.

"Finally! I'm done!" Sunstreaker went over to Jazz's hut, and pounded on the door. "Jazz! Get packed, the hover-cycles are ready to go!"

"Gimme a minute, an' ah'll be right out, 'Streaker!" Jazz's voice was muffled by the door and walls, and Sunstreaker could practically hear the sleepiness that was in it.

"Well, hurry up! I don't want to be away from Earth any longer than necessary!" Sunstreaker ran back down to the two hover-cycles, and saw a crowd there.

"You two are leaving already?" Highjump looked crestfallen, sad that he was going to lose his new friend. "But… we thought you would stay longer…"

"Highjump, even though Megatron and his highest-ranking officers aren't here on Cybertron, Jazz and I are needed on Earth to defend it against them. I'm Prime's most powerful and skilled warrior, and Jazz is one of his SICs. We're needed there."

"Then take some of us with you! We can help you!" Highjump was practically pleading with Sunstreaker, but the warrior shook his head.

"No, you all need to stay here. Take in other Autobot refugees, and be the backup that many aren't getting. Even though Megatron and most of his officers have left Cybertron, there's still Shockwave and his subordinates to deal with. You guys are needed here. Jazz and I… we're needed on Earth." Sunstreaker put a hand on his friend's shoulder, and smiled sadly. "We have to go, but I promise you that we'll return one day, when the war is over. And when that day comes, I'll let you guys meet everyone that I work with every day in the Ark."

"You'll come back? When?" Highjump looked up with tears in his optics.

"I don't know when, but I promise you all that we will return. We will meet again." Sunstreaker took his hand off of the shorter mech's shoulder, and stepped back. "And there's something you all need to know."

"What is it?"

"Tell us!"

"What do we need to know?"

"Everyone, let him speak!" The powerful voice silenced them all, and Thundershock came to the front of the crowd.

"Thanks, pal. Everyone, I was able to briefly get into contact with my leader and adoptive father, Optimus Prime, and he's approved of my decision to create a new fighting force. From this day forward, you are the original members of the Elite Guard!" Cheers broke out at the news, and then Sunstreaker brought an art datapad out of his subspace. "On this art pad there is a symbol that I designed for the members of the Elite Guard. I hope that all of you will wear this with pride, and I also hope that you will train others that feel they are worthy of being in this fighting force. Till we meet again, my friends. Till all are one!"

" ** _TILL ALL ARE ONE!_** " Cheers broke out again, and Jazz came up beside Sunstreaker.

"Time ta' go?"

"Yes, Jazz, it's time to go, but I have one more thing to announce." Sunstreaker turned back to the crowd, and smiled at them. "Prime has also approved of my choice for the temporary leader of the Elite Guard! I will be the official leader, but the one who will be leading in my stead until my return will be Highjump, the courageous mech who dared to plan our escape with me!" Cheers broke out again, and the warrior walked towards the smaller mech with the datapad, and also with something in his other hand. "Highjump, as official leader of the Elite Guard, I have the honor of presenting you with this, the Elite Guard badge of Courage." Sunstreaker held out an exquisitely-made badge made of electrum, and the temporary commander of the Elite Guard proudly took it, and it magnetized itself to his chest, right above his Autobot symbol. He saluted, and Sunstreaker saluted back. Then, he turned, and went over to his hover-cycle, while Jazz was already on his own. They activated the hover-thrusters, and they each took one last look around at the camp, and then sped off through the forest, towards the outskirts, where they could go up into the air, and through space.

 **0o0o0o0o0**

 **An Hour Later…**

As the two approached the outer atmosphere, they both used one hand to place an oxygen helmet on their heads, so that they could keep breathing, even in the vacuum of space. They looked similar to human motorcycle helmets, but they had small tanks in them that renewed their oxygen supply. There were radios in the helmets, so they could talk freely between themselves.

* _How much longer 'till weh get home, 'Streaker?_ *

* _Not long, Jazz. I'd say about one more hour, if we use the special warp jump feature I installed in these._ * Sunstreaker turned his head to face the saboteur, who was looking at him. The warrior motioned towards a special panel in the navigation system, and he steered closer to Jazz to show him what to do. He pressed a button, and the panel slid back to reveal a warp jump navigation system that he had installed. The saboteur copied him, and watched as he entered the coordinates. Once they both had the same coordinates, Sunstreaker pointed at the blue button next to the screen, smirked, and pressed down on it, vanishing in an instant. Jazz soon followed, and they were both within reach of Earth. They could see the beautiful green, blue, and white planet ahead of them, close enough to make out weather patterns on the side of the world they were on.

* _Ah gotta say, ah missed this place, 'Streaker._ *

* _Me too, Jazz. Come on, let's go home._ * Sunstreaker gunned his engine, and shot towards the continent he knew was North America, with Jazz following close behind. They turned on their heat shields, as they entered the atmosphere, and the shields were slowly being depleted. They leveled out above the ocean, and made their way quickly towards the mainland. Being in breathable atmosphere, they took their helmets off with one hand, and placed them into subspace.

"Weh're almost there, 'Streaker!"

"Yeah! I can't wait to see Prowl again!" Then, a song came to the warrior's mind, and he started to sing the last set of lyrics. " _Oh, I hear the wind call your name, the sound that lead me home again. The sparks of the fire, the flame that still burns. Yeah, I'm on my way! I will always return! Yes I will always return! I've seen every sunset, and with all that I've learned… Oh…_ " They landed their hover-cycles outside of the Ark, and there was a crowd already waiting. Then, Sunstreaker saw Prowl slowly approaching him, hesitantly, as if he couldn't believe it was really him. " _It's to you… I will always… always…_ " The SIC ran towards Sunstreaker, and they wrapped each other up in their arms, and the warrior softly sang the last word in his audio receptor. " _Return…_ "

 **0o0o0o0o0**

 **Hey, everyone! This is Autobot Guardian, also known as AirStrikeTF, and I just want to thank you for reading this story! I only own the plot, the OCs, and the cyber-horses in this story, nothing else! The song lyrics that Sunny sings at the end were the last set of lyrics from Bryan Adams' song "I Will Always Return", the original soundtrack for the movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Please give me reviews!**

 **Sunstreaker: Hey, why did you get me kidnapped?!**

 **Me: Hey, can you think of any other way to get trapped on Cybertron with a bunch of other former prisoners and your pet cyber-horse stallion?!**

 **Sunstreaker: …**

 **Me: That's what I thought.**

 **Sunstreaker: Well, you could have AT LEAST kept JAZZ out of this!**

 **Me: Why? I thought he made a good contribution to the story!**

 **Sunstreaker: *stomps away***

 **Me: Bye, Daffodil! Thanks again for reading, guys, but I've got to go before Sunny kills me! BYEE!**

 **Sunstreaker: GET BACK HERE! YOU KNOW I HATE WHEN YOU CALL ME THOSE NICKNAMES! ONLY SIDESWIPE AND PROWL ARE ALLOWED TO CALL ME THOSE!**


End file.
